Throttle cable

motoddrob

motoddrob

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Location
S/W Australia
I need a set of push pull cables to suit Mikuni carbs.
The current one fitted are from Motion Pro and are way too long in length at 800mm outer cable
I need a length of 650mm. I originally had a set made by Flexi Drive giving them an accurate drawing of nipple sizes and inner cable lengths etc. They came back all wrong so sent them back again. Came back closer but still wrong but useable so on they went.
They looked like some drop kick junior had made them and they charged me 125 bucks!!
A couple of thousand kays later the pull nipple broke off at the throttle tube. They were seriously badly made!!!
So the set from motion pro was ordered.
They're a pain in the arse as they fowl with the fairing bracketry and generally give me the shits.
Anyone know of a supplier or company that can manufacture a set [not flexi drive] preferably in Australia.
Have looked at Venhill kits but the postage is way more than the cost of the kit. Oz supplier is currently out of stock.
Did buy a couple of wire kits to fit in the Flexi drive outers out of China, arrived today, but the fixed nipple on one end and the supplied fittings are 8mm in dia while I need 6mm dia both ends. I'll managed to file the fixed nipple down to fit and will turn some brass down to 6mm to make the other ends but I'm still stuck with the flexi drive outers that look poxy.
Probably not going to find cables off the shelf for the length I need so Oz based manufacturer would be the next option.
In the mean time I'll sort out something with what I've got.
 
Hi Rob

Last time I bought a used Suzuki GT switch block and (pull-push) throttle twistgrip assembly on ebay, it came with a couple of cables dangling off it. Presumably from the Suzuki that it came off. The cables fitted the Mikuni carb bell crank and were roughly the right length, so I used them. So ? try searching for Suzuki cables.

Something like this maybe? https://www.mxstore.com.au/p/A1-Suzuki-DR650SE-96-17-Throttle-Cable/52-272-10?gclid=CjwKCAiAq8f-BRBtEiwAGr3DgSLwvwHpi4mhcB9UcIaXldmd1zqaSIODvM3L3HBN-gp8xilV_u0n2RoCBmsQAvD_BwE

They're an Australian supplier. If you email them and ask to take some measurements hopefully they'll be able help you out.

Cheers,
Cam
 
AH, got my inlet stubs from them - was wrapt that they had them and 'local' as well - as in, Melbourne-Townsville. pre-covid that was a day or two with Oz Post.

I got a pair of the Motion Pros from Red, Rob. At least I think they're Motion pro (correct if I'm wrong here, Red). They also a too long, but I am considering using them. If I loop them way out in front and then curve them back they will do, but the extra length creates friction and the softer Keihin FCR return spring I bought doesn't fully overcome the friction. I'm considering cutting the outers and inners down and silver soldering on new nipples at one end. I looked long snd hard but couldn't find anything suitable.

Let me know if you find any thing Rob. In the meantime I'll have a squiz at Oz Mikuni, Hooksey.

That mob that did the shite job sound like they don't want any return customers!!
 
It is easy to shorten outers and inners. Some brass rod cut to make new nipples, and I have used soft solder except for clutch cables, not tried stainless inners though. Dont cut them too short.
 
I use soft solder for cables. The problem with silver solder is that you have to get the parts red hot for the solder to flow. That buggers the heat treatment of the cable wires and weakens them. The end of the cable will eventually snap off.

Soft solder is plenty strong enough, especially if you 'bird-cage' the cable end.  Venhill sells a bird caging tool. It's not cheap but you can make your own if you have a decent workshop. You can also do a rough looking bird cage just by splaying the cable wires by hand.
 
Gowys were out of short throttle cables for my Pantah a few years back, Flexdrive is in Sydney but way over the other side, it took 4 trips to get it right with me writing instructions and leaving the cable and directions with them, can you shorten this x mm. Bloody hopeless.
 
I'll check them out Hooksie, cheers

Q, if from Red , Motion Pro I think. Was gunna shorten them, I turned up 3 brass nipples even. The problem is getting the ends, ferrals, out of the end fitting. They are crimped, the cable turns but don't come out. Decided to put it in the too hard basket hence looking for alternatives.
Plan was too "bird cage" the end and soft solder.
 
Dellortoman said:
I use soft solder for cables. The problem with silver solder is that you have to get the parts red hot for the solder to flow. That buggers the heat treatment of the cable wires and weakens them. The end of the cable will eventually snap off.

Soft solder is plenty strong enough, especially if you 'bird-cage' the cable end.  Venhill sells a bird caging tool. It's not cheap but you can make your own if you have a decent workshop. You can also do a rough looking bird cage just by splaying the cable wires by hand.
Click to expand...

Good advice - can you type me up a lesson in quality bird-caging, Cam. What's the tool look like? I can make one.
 
Haggis said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_273vfLLa8&feature=emb_logo
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, this isn't strong enough for a Laverda clutch cable. It needs to be crimped on. I have been developing a reliable clutch cable, with Venhill, and am currently on the second iteration which, I think, will be the final fix. I have a spare copy available for someone else to test fly, as I want to be sure that I haven't developed one that fits mine ('76 CDI 180? Triple with bars set low).
 
That looks like a fairly easy jig to make. Marty just gave me a heads up to a company in Sydney that makes cables so will probably get them to make a set.
Getting close to xmas so time is running out. In a pinch I can refit the longer cables to get the Motodd mobile again.
Thanks for the suggestions
 
If its in Milperra, that's what I tried. Called Conwire, good luck. I remembered wrong. They were helpful but it took ages to get it right
http://www.conwire.com.au/may07_files/page0002.html
 
They did reasonable work, but it took 4 goes to get it right. And that was with detailed sketch supplied. They kept getting the distance between the inner and outer wrong. It's a long drive from my place to them. Maybe if you supply a sample and say just like this but X shorter. They have been doing this since WW2, I don't know why they don't have a file of sizes for specific bikes from over the years?
 
Maybe you need to give them a drawing showing exactly the configuration of inner and outer lengths, bends, adjusters, ferrules, nipples, etc. that you need. I find that with a lot of service providers in the technical or engineering field, you have to give them idiot-proof instructions. Leave no scope for them to make assumptions or guesses. Then if they fuck it up, the onus is on them to fix it.


I got chucked out of a cable shop in Hobart when I complained about his work. I was told never to come back (which I haven't). That's what prompted me to make my own cables. I'll still buy cables if there's a suitable one available off the shelf, but it's handy to be able to make a cable or shorten a longer one if you can't buy exactly what you need.

You don't need much:
A good set of parrot-beak wire cutters that will make a clean cut. If you don't have the proper cutter, you can tape the cable to stop it fraying and cut it with a grinder.
A solder pot is handy, but you can use a propane torch for soldering if you're careful to control the heat. You don't wanna overheat it and bugger the high tensile properties of the cable. The gas torch can also be used to pre-heat the joint to be soldered so the flux will penetrate before you dip it in the solder pot.
A bird caging tool would be nice, but can be done using a pair of pliers and a pointy tool like a scriber to splay the fibres out. It just doesn't look as neat, but if it's buried inside a soldered joint, who cares?

That's pretty much it. Add a supply of cable inners/outers and the other hardware like nipples, adjusters etc, and you're a cable maker.
 
My Breganze 750 SFO was truly endowed Cabled.

Cable Management:

There are a few tricks, which I learned, fixing a cabled Bike after more then 35 years of riding them.

Definitely your Clutch Cable will break at the Lever after 2 or 3 years.

FIX: This is what I did:

Pull the broken Cable - CLEAN it and soak it in Varsol or Diesel Fluid then blown her off and through the cable with something like 130 PSI from a 5Hp IR Air Compressor.

Now fix it and make it Fit: I've shortened the cable by using an appropriate sized nut and drilled a cable sized hole through the side of the nut where I push the cable through, BANGED the End to splay cable inside the nut then soldered the inside of the nut with soldier.

You can easily doctor the outside casing of the cable from leaking fluid and shortening where bruised using a quality heat shrink wrapper.

Never had issues where the cable pulled out of the nut after this FIX . Of course you have to grind the Nut into a circle to fit the lever hole ;o)

Anyone follow this ?

You really should pull, hang and treat cables about every 3 to 4 years with a cable controlled ride.
 
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